


A Cold One

by magicians_entrepot



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Buddies, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 04:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19244047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicians_entrepot/pseuds/magicians_entrepot
Summary: After the Shadow Moses incident, Snake, Meryl, and Otacon take residence at Snake's cabin. The two soldiers have a drink.(this was written really fast for my mgs server's "friendship" prompt! snuck in some otasune but it was rly just for some pining snake)





	A Cold One

**Author's Note:**

> this is REALLY dialogue-heavy, with some rocky pacing.

The cabin was warm.

Otacon was in the bathroom, trying to wash the blood off of his previously white hoodie. The snow was still melting on their respective outfits by the time Meryl sat at the table, and both she and Snake were pretty soaked when the man set two beers on the wood surface. Bottles, not cans - the man had at least a little taste.

Snake opened them both, and pushed one towards Meryl. His chair creaked under his weight, the seat seeming disproportionately small in comparison to his body.

Meryl seemed doubtful. "Snake, you know I'm not old enough to drink that, right?”  
  
Snake shrugged, “Nobody’ll catch you. As long as Otacon’s not a narc, and I’m trusting he isn’t, you’re safe to drink in this house. You’ve had a rough couple days.” He grabbed one of the bottles in his hand, taking a fairly lengthy drink from it. “Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”  
  
There was a pause - no more than a couple seconds - before Meryl lost her calculating stare and took the untouched beer for herself. She had her first taste with a dramatically large _gulp_ , and obviously regretted it - she was able to force down the drink just fine, but the coughing fit that came right after undermined whatever cool composure she had tried to maintain.  
Snake only laughed. Meryl glared.  
  
“L-Listen, I’m not some.. seasoned beer drinker, alright? I’m not even old enough to drink this.. this crap!” She stuck out her tongue, trying to rub out the taste with the back of a gloved hand.  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe you should be more _careful_ with how you approach things.”  
  
Meryl donned another offended look. “I’m careful! I just took too big of a risk.”  
  
“Aren’t those two statements pretty contradictory?”  
  
“ _Snake!_ ”  
  
He laughed, again, gravelly chuckles drowned out by another sip on his end. “You’re fine. I’m just messing with you, kid.”  
  
“ _Kid_ ? I’m not a kid.”  
  
“Yeah, you are. If you’re too young to handle a mild beer, you’re a kid. And you’re _eighteen_ . Barely even a legal adult.”  
  
She sat up, “But I was a soldier! And you _liked_ me!”  
  
Snake only groaned. “I _liked you_ because I thought you were an actual adult, and I didn’t know you were basically a teenager. _And_ because I thought you were interested in men to begin with. The fact that you were a soldier, or a psuedo-soldier, doesn’t change a thing.”  
  
Meryl only glared at him. He held her gaze for a while, draining a bit more from his beer, before she spoke up again.  
  
“Well, why didn’t you try to change me? Try to actually seduce me, or whatever? Maybe _that_ time it would’ve worked.”  
  
“Jesus _Christ_ , kid, what kind of men are you hanging around?”  
  
“Well, I-”  
  
“Listen, I’ve had too many drill sergeants try to change the fact that I like men to do that to you. I don’t know what.. _person_ cemented in your mind that some man’ll come along and change you, but it’s not true. And it doesn’t _work_ .”  
  
They stayed silent after that. The snow was falling heavily outside, and they could hear the sound of running water and distressed, high-pitched grunts from the bathroom. Snake continued to drink from his beer, the liquid now halfway down the bottle, and Meryl just poked at hers. Droplets of water were forming around the sides.  
  
She folded her hands on the wooden surface. “I never knew you liked men.”  
  
“Yeah. I’ve known it for a pretty long time now, but I guess it’s been pretty solidified this mission.”  
  
Meryl brought her gaze back to him, “What? What do you mean?”  
  
Snake cleared his throat, bringing his beer back down to the table. “The nerd.”  
  
She absolutely lit up, somber expression shattering with a huge grin. “ _Otacon_ ? The- you like _him_ ?!”  
  
“Oh - shut up. If you’re going to be _that_ annoying about it, I never should’ve told you. This is _another_ reason why you’re a kid.”  
  
He was blushing. Just slightly.  
  
“You have _awful_ taste! That guy looks like he hasn’t showered in _weeks_ , Snake!”  
  
“You’re only saying that because you can’t see the appeal. He’s cute, alright? Let me have _this_ , at least.”  
  
“Aww. The soldier with a mushy heart.”  
  
“I don’t have a _mushy heart_ .”  
  
“What’re you gonna do, name one of your huskies after him to show him your _feelings_ ?”  
  
Snake coughed.  
  
“Well, I mean.. that’s not really a _bad_ idea..”  
  
She absolutely _erupted_ into laughter, slamming her hand down on the table, almost wheezing with how hard her chest was heaving. It took her a while, a _long_ while, before she calmed down, burying her pink face in her hands. “Oh my _God_ , Snake. That’s.. it’s an _awful_ idea.”  
  
He was just about to object, his mouth halfway open, right before the bathroom door opened. Otacon came into the main room, now pinkish hoodie clumped in his hands, and looked down at the disheveled pair. “Uh..”  
  
Snake groaned. “Go ahead.”  
  
“Right. Er, Snake, do you have any spare hoodies? Or.. pullovers? Mine is kinda.. well, you know.”  
  
“Yeah. Uh, my bedroom, the closet’s near the right of the doorway. There should be some flannel shirts and a hoodie somewhere in there.” He paused, “And you can call me David. Or Dave.”  
  
Meryl peeked through her fingers. Otacon beamed.

“Cool! Thanks, Dave!”  
  
And he was off.  
  
“You never said your name was David to _me_ ,” She teased.  
  
He said nothing, only rolled his eyes. Snake rolled the bottle around in his hand, letting the sound of the snow falling outside soak up the silence, before a familiar pair of light footsteps came down the hallway again. Otacon came into the light in a black, oversized hoodie, hands tucked under his arms, with the bottom of the material going a bit down his thighs.  
Snake’s face had turned pink, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.  
Meryl _grinned_ .  
  
“Sn- uh, Dave, do you have any food? Other than.. beer? I’m _starving_ .”  
  
“F..Food’s in the kitchen. Some instant dinners in the fridge.”  
  
The man gave a thumbs-up, and left.  
  
Meryl couldn’t wiped the smile from her face. “You are a _mess_ .”  
  
It was Snake’s turn to cover his face with his hands.  
  
“I know.”


End file.
